A polymer clay slicer having a base which supports a platform positionally adjustable in relation to a blade carrier which operates to engage a blade with an amount of polymer clay located on the platform to generate polymer clay slices having a desired thickness.
Polymer clays for use by artists can be formulated to provide a pliably moldable or sculptable clay at temperatures of between about 60° Fahrenheit (“F”) and about 80° F. and curable at temperatures of between about 250° F. and about 300° F. to produce substantially rigid objects. Typically, polymer clays are formulated from polyvinyl chloride and one or more of several kinds of liquid plasticizer. Pigments or opaquing agent can be added to the translucent materials to create a variety of colors and opacities as desired. Other materials such as mica can be added to simulate pearlescent and metallic effects. The formulations of polymer clay contain no clay minerals and may be referred to as clay because the texture and working properties resemble those of mineral clays.
Certain polymer clay techniques such as mica shift, mokume gane, or the like utilize slices or sheets of clay polymer cut or sliced from blocks of polymer clay prior to curing having a thickness typically in the range of about one-sixty fourth of an inch to about one-quarter inch; however, the invention is not so limited. The thin slices or sheets of polymer clay can for example be laminated or stacked or otherwise disposed in relation to one another to produce blocks of polymer clay which manifest a numerous and wide variety of patterns. These blocks of polymer clay can again be cross sectionally sliced or cut to produce slices or sheets of patterned polymer clay which can be used for a wide variety of projects, such as veneers that can be applied to the surfaces of a wide variety of objects. The blocks of clay useful for producing sheets or slices can manifest a numerous and wide variety of dimensional relations from a fraction of an inch to several inches; however, the invention is not so limited, and can also manifest a numerous and wide variety of geometric forms, for example in cross section, square, rectangle, circular, oval, triangular, pentagonal, or the like.
A conventional method of producing sheets or slices of polymer clay is performed by drawing a blade slidingly coupled to or slided against a pair of horizontal guide members or a pair of vertical guide members. There are a number of substantial problems associated with this conventional method.
Firstly, each of the pair of guide members may be attached to a support surface by one side or by one end but the other side or other end may not attached to any support structure. As a result the guide members can move in response to sliding engagement of the blade.
Secondly, the blade may be assembled in a blade carrier which lacks sufficiently frictionless coupling to the pair of guide members to produce sufficiently smooth travel along the guide members to produce sheets or slices of a desired thickness, thinness or surface smoothness.
Thirdly, blocks of polymer clay of conventional formulation may not adhere to support surfaces. The block of polymer clay may move or slide across the support surface as the blade is drawn through the block.
Fourthly, blocks of polymer clay of conventional formulation may adhere or stick to the blade as it is drawn through the block. Additionally, the friction of drawing the blade too rapidly through the block or using a blade that reciprocates or revolves too rapidly can generate sufficient change in temperature to alter the consistency of the polymer clay at the cutting surface.
Fifthly, it can be difficult to produce uniformly thick slices or sheets of clay by drawing a hand held blade through a block of polymer clay. The larger the block of polymer clay the more difficult it may become to produce consistently uniform slices or sheets. Typically, uniformly thick slices or sheets are limited to or produced from blocks of polymer clay having relatively small dimensional relations of not greater than one inch on a side.
Another substantial problem with conventional clay slicers may be that the platform reciprocally coupled to a base may lack sufficiently frictionless movement to afford repeated fine incremental adjustment between the platform and the base to produce a corresponding serial plurality of clay slices having substantially equal thickness.
Another substantial problem with conventional clay slicers may be that the mechanism that reciprocally drives the platform in relation to the base may not allow both gross and fine incremental reciprocal travel of the platform in relation to the base of pre-determined distance.
Another substantial problem with conventional clay slicers may be that there is no manner of ready assembly and disassembly allowing portability or ease of transport.
The instant invention provides a polymer clay slicing system which overcomes certain of the forgoing disadvantages of conventional methods of slicing polymer clay.